Background
For more than two centuries the Hoare family have managed the woodlands of the Stourhead Estate with the joint aims of producing quality timber and creating and maintaining a beautiful landscape. The estate has always been at the forefront of forestry thinking. Over two thirds of the current 496 hectares of woodland were open ground two hundred years ago, and the estate was one of the first to plant widely with the conifer species such as Douglas fir which thrive on the site. However the landscape, as a backdrop to the famous Stourhead landscape gardens, dictated the style of the planting, with a patchwork of small areas of different ages and species. This was taken further in the 1950’s and 1960’s by increasing the diversity of species, and aiming towards replacing trees by the natural setting of seed rather than by planting.
Natural Regeneration
Currently the Stourhead (Western) Estate produces about 3000 cubic metres of conifer timber a year, and 600 of broadleaved. We primarily operate a system of Continuous Cover forestry, where individual trees or small groups are selectively felled, and the majority of restocking is by natural regeneration. This forestry system concentrates on achieving the best quality timber, but in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. The woods are certified under the Forest Stewardship Council scheme (ref. SGS-FM/COC-0429/G076) as being run to the highest environmental and social standards. The forest is managed by David Pengelly of Selectfor, experts in Continuous Cover management. For more details on this style of management, see the Continuous Cover Forestry Group (CCFG) website.
